Five things to watch at Kansas high school boys basketall state tournaments
.JPG "Olathe North’s RJ Smith (left) celebrated with teammate Storey Jackson after Smith’s three-point play proved to be the winning margin against Blue Valley North on Friday night at Olathe North High School. Olathe North won the substate final, 57-56.")
Kansas high school boys basketball state tournaments get underway on Wednesday in Class 6A in Wichita and Class 4A Division I in Salina and on Thursday in Class 5A in Topeka. Here are five storylines to watch:
1. Sunflower rivals meet again
When Olathe East and Olathe North met on Feb. 13, it took some end-of-game heroics for Olathe East to slip past the Eagles.
Javion Blake delivered the decisive blow in the form of a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 54-51 victory.
Now, they meet again in the first round of the Kansas Class 6A state tournament, with a semifinal berth at stake. They play at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday at Koch Arena in Wichita.
The two schools have identical 17-5 records, but Olathe East takes in a No. 4 seed to Olathe North’s No. 5.
Fellow Sunflower League teams Lawrence and Shawnee Mission North are on the other side of the bracket and could meet in the semifinals.
2. Miege takes aim in Class 4A DI
On Saturday night, the Bishop Miege boys basketball team was able to contain one of the state’s most highly-touted recruits in Eudora’s Mitchell Ballock.
Now, they will try to take some of that momentum from a 60-47 victory to the Class 4A Division I state tournament at the Salina Bicentennial Center. The fifth-seeded Stags, 18-4, will play Andale at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Stags presented a balanced attack against Eudora, with three players scoring in double figures. Alston Jones had a game-high 16 points, Jacob Meurer had 13 and Semaj Ray added 10.
Miege will have its work cut out if the Stags advance, with McPherson and Basehor-Linwood still protecting undefeated records.
3. Blue Valley West riding win streak
Despite entering the Class 5A state tournament with a No. 7 seed, Blue Valley West has momentum from six consecutive victories in the last month.
Most recently, the Jaguars defeated Harmon and BV Southwest to win their substate and push their record to 15-7. The streak also includes 43-41 victory against Bishop Miege, which is the Eastern Kansas League’s only other surviving playoff team.
The Jaguars will try to keep the momentum rolling when they face Shawnee Heights at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in Topeka.
4. Mill Valley wins close game
Despite starting the season 0-4, the Mill Valley boys basketball team is headed to the Class 5A state tournament in Topeka as the No. 8 seed with a 14-8 record.
Logan Koch lifted them there with the final basket of a 41-39 victory against St. Thomas Aquinas in a substate final. There were seven seconds left on the clock and he finished with a team-best 15 points in the game.
Mill Valley will face top seeded Maize South at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kansas Expocentre.
5. Weathers are leading SM North
During Shawnee Mission North’s two substate games, the dynamic brother duo of Michael and Marcus Weathers have combined for 68 of the team’s 108 points.
The two scored 18 points each against Lawrence Free State and Marcus took the slight edge against SM West with 17 points. Michael had 15 in that game to help secure a spot in the Class 6A state tournament, where the Indians will face Derby at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Koch Arena in Wichita.
This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Five things to watch at Kansas high school boys basketall state tournaments."